The theory suggests that tinnitus may result from damaged synapses in the auditory nerve. In my case, it's likely that both the inner ear cells and synapses are damaged. Initially, the pathways for loud sounds might be impaired, leading to random neural firing in the brain, which manifests as tinnitus.
Tinnitus Talk Support Forum
Yesterday highlighted once again how complex hearing problems can be. In the morning, I felt better mentally and went for a massage, but later in the afternoon, everything came back, as if I was being captured and thrown back into a dungeon.
Yes, life just has to go on now, and above all, it has to get better. And usually, it does get better, especially when you're still young. You have to let go of the thoughts that you did something wrong, because even someone who goes on a Sunday motorcycle trip and ends up paralyzed in bed at the end of the day didn't intend for something like that to happen when they decided to go on that trip.
Or in any other situation, it can just happen… and it happens millions of times every day.
It doesn't heal us, but maybe it reflects reality, and we're not the only ones who have to fight. Just imagine, I read an article about Ashton Kutcher and his autoimmune disease… it can hit anyone, very hard and without warning.
It doesn't heal us, but maybe it reflects reality, and we're not the only ones who have to fight. Just imagine, I read an article about Ashton Kutcher and his autoimmune disease… it can hit anyone, very hard and without warning.
@tomytl, What hurts me the most is that this happened at such a young age. There were so many songs left to listen to, places to visit, foods to taste, roads to travel, games to play, jokes to share, paths to walk, parks to cycle through. My dreams were left unfinished. I'm still trying to fight through.
I totally understand, I was at that absolute low point myself, at the age of 28. I remember lying on the floor, crying, unable to see my life ahead of me, and everything felt surreal and eerie.
At first, it was pure shock—my new condition, tinnitus, auditory distortions, hyperacusis, and overall hearing loss—a completely new and ugly soundscape. As a big music fan and good musician.
I was just a wreck, suddenly feeling shut out. After about three months, sheer panic set in when nothing had improved. I tried everything, even went to Germany for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBO). As a bonus, I was hospitalized with a pulmonary embolism… it was pure horror.
To shorten it a bit, months passed, but eventually, things got better. I was able to return to life and did many cool things that once seemed impossible… until the next setbacks came, unfortunately. Now, I'm panicking again, fearing that at 50, I might not be able to recover anymore.
@tomytl, Did the pulmonary embolism happen because of HBOT? When you first started having ear issues, you were around my age. How long did it take you to adjust to this process and live? Did you have tinnitus at that time? If you could explain the first incident and what happened afterward, it would serve as an example for me too.
I had been walking around with the embolism for several months, even before the sudden hearing loss. I always felt a strange pain in my shoulder when climbing stairs, but I didn't think much of it at the time. The hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) probably made it worse, but that's my issue due to a blood clotting disorder.
Yes, I had extreme tinnitus and also extreme hyperacusis, along with a frightening hearing loss, especially in my left ear. For quite a long time, I could only hear mid-range tones, and everything sounded like clattering tin cans, so it was really, really bad.
The hearing loss (as shown on the audiogram) hardly improved. The tinnitus almost went away after about a year, but the hyperacusis lasted even longer. However, the transition back to a "normal" life was somehow gradual. Between 2003 and 2024, despite two severe setbacks, I had a pretty cool life, even with the hearing loss and learning to manage noise differently.
Therefore, I want to encourage you, and also remind myself in the current situation, that it got better every time. It just takes time, and of course, you need to seek support as well. It requires an extreme amount of energy.
It initially influenced everything, as I perceived everything differently with my distorted hearing. In the first few months, I completely withdrew, spending all my time on the internet searching for solutions, and back then, Tinnitus Talk didn't even exist—there was no good information at all.
My girlfriend and friends stood by me, but I was the one who withdrew to avoid showing my poor condition and mood. Professionally, I probably experienced the greatest disadvantages, as I ended up staying with the company for 18 years because I felt safe there and could work somewhat independently.
The first two years were really intense, but after that, I slowly found my way back to a normal life, of course, with different hearing... but surprisingly, I was eventually able to accept it... the left ear was always worse...
@tomytl, It's still going badly for me. Not being able to hear as before, living with an extremely severe ringing in my ears 24/7, not being able to sleep at night, waking up to this sound in the morning and hating life, and so many other problems… I've never been subjected to this much gaslighting at any other point in my life. People belittle this situation so much.
Not only do they belittle it, but they also accuse me of being weak and having a weak character. If they had to endure this for just a week, they would make plans to end their lives. Yet here you are, having made it to a certain age despite these struggles, and you live in Switzerland, where a way out is within your reach.